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The development of smoke warheads was a means to deal with the range advantages of Clan weaponry. A very simple concept, these hot-fired LRM and SRM missiles[1] can lay down walls of smoke up to 120m in width. 2 SRM's or 5 LRM's are capable of filling a 30m diameter area with dense smoke. Launchers with more than 2 SRM's or 5 LRM's can target adjacent areas in any configuration the firing unit desires.[2] As smoke missiles are targeted at an area rather than a specific enemy unit it is relatively simple to lay the smoke rounds down on-target.[3] Unfortunately the resulting smoke cloud is only 6m high and will dissipate within 30 seconds of impact. Although a smoke warhead is incapable of causing damage to targets the propellant is still volatile. In the event of an ammunition explosion, smoke warheads cause half the damage that the same number of normal SRM or LRM would cause.

In more recent rulebooks[4] smoke missiles can also be launched by MML systems. The smoke is now two levels high[5] and smoke radius and density[6] as well as dissipation time depend on launcher size. Smoke may be subject to drift.[7]

↑Tactical Handbook, p. 60: SW's can only be mounted in standard SRM and LRM systems.

↑Tactical Handbook, p. 60: One hex of smoke coverage is laid for each 5 LRM's or each 2 SRM's fired. The hexes must form a continuous area. The text does not indicate what happens to smoke warheads that miss.